Students are encouraged to make a plan to complete professional school prerequisites while pursuing their degree requirements. Advisors from the PreMedical & PreDental Advising Office can provide feedback on draft plans as well as information and resources to support the process of creating a plan. The following information and resources may support plan development :
- The recommended courses for a student’s preferred health career area
- The requirements for a student’s major(s), as well as academic minors or certificates that the student may be pursuing, which may be found in a student’s degree audit (link opens in new tab) or through the relevant academic department webpages.
- University and General Education Program (GEP) requirements, which may be found in a student’s degree audit or in the Catalog.
It’s possible that one or more of your courses can be used to fulfill requirements in multiple categories.
The chemistry and biology sequences take the longest to complete, typically at least 5 semesters, and so, prioritizing these courses or their math prerequisites will support timely completion of these sequences. Class Search can give some indication of the semesters in which a course may be offered, but schedules are subject to change from year to year. Historically, Organic Chemistry II (CHEM 352) and Lab (CHEM 352L) are typically only offered in the spring and summer terms. Additionally, Basic Physics II (PHYS 112) has conflicted with Organic Chemistry Lab II (CHEM 352L).
Maintaining a challenging but manageable course load while also pursuing extracurricular activities can demonstrate to professional schools that an applicant can thrive in a rigorous academic environment. Students may also consider the time necessary for entrance exam preparation or application year activities when planning courses, if the student intends to apply to professional school while pursuing their bachelor’s degree.